Spirited Away: The New Chihiro
by CrystalMidnight18
Summary: The Spirit World has remained unchanging as life in the human world goes on. But when a young adult stumbles upon the Spirit World, many are shocked to find out the truth. This is not the little girl they once knew. As the girl stays, she finds out more about her past and becomes more connected. Will the Spirit World embrace her or reject her? Will she decide to stay or leave?
1. Chapter 1

I was a little bit drunk while walking through the early evening light. I had spent most of the afternoon at a local bar, eating dinner and having one too many glasses of sake. Stumbling my way home, I noticed a group of men up ahead of me laughing loudly. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it was a group of co-workers that I didn't particularly like. Some of them liked to hit on me, but the leader of the small group was the absolute worst. He pushed the boundaries on sexual harassment and there were a few times that I almost reported him, but in the end, didn't.

Ducking into the woods next to me, I started down the dirt path. Praying that I escaped their notice as I headed down. There was no doubt that they had been drinking as well and I did not want to find out what happened to them when they got drunk. Briskly walking along the path, I stared straight ahead of me. Careful, quiet steps carried me further down the path until I could just barely make out the main road.

"I've got to take a leak. Wait up for me."

I froze for just a moment before starting to sprint as carefully as I could down the dirt path. I wasn't sure who had spoken, but it wasn't going to be good if anyone caught me in the woods or if the entire group's attention was brought to me. I could hear the group murmuring about something, but didn't stop in my attempt to get away from them. I stumbled at one point and caught myself on a tree before continuing. The path was beginning to fade and the woods seemed like they were swallowing me up.

I could no longer hear the group behind me, but I didn't dare turn around and go back up the path for fear that they would linger there and catch me on my return. Instead, I pushed forward through the woods, walking for a few more minutes until I was finally deposited onto another dirt path. This one was large enough to fit a sedan comfortably without hitting the woods bordering either side of it. Looking to the right, I could see a large building looming ahead of me and my curiosity got the better of me.

Slowly, I moved towards the building. It looked ancient with its large walls and looming tower. The tunnel ahead of me was dark, no lights on the inside. I paused at the opening of the tunnel and peered into the darkness. Something was making me feel a little uneasy and I couldn't tell if it was because of being tipsy or the near encounter with my perverted co-workers. Just then, a slight breeze kicked up and it almost seemed as if it was pulling me into the tunnel. Against my better judgement and the small voice in the back of my head saying this was a bad idea, I stepped into the tunnel.

The tunnel was long and dark, but that didn't bother me. I had never really been afraid of anything growing up which had gotten me into a lot of trouble as a kid. That fearlessness had followed me into adulthood, luckily commonsense had been thrown into the mix and I didn't get into as much trouble nowadays. I exited the tunnel and was presented with a specular rolling field of grass and what almost appeared to be a small town further up on the hill. There was still plenty of sunlight left and I was curious. My curiosity combined with my fearlessness is what carried my feet forward and towards the small town. I wanted to investigate and see what the town was and what it was doing here randomly in the woods. I had never heard of a town being there and surely if it contained a bar, my friend and I would have found out about it. Miki, my best friend, had a talent for finding random, awesome bars and there was no doubt in my mind that she would have found this town eventually.

I went across a bed of stones that were probably supposed to hold a river and up a set of stairs. I was finally starting to enter town and the first thing that struck me about it was that it mostly was food stalls. All the small shops clustered together were some type of food stall and in the distance, I could see that one had its kitchen fired up. I walked towards it and ducked under the small curtain to see inside. The counter to the stall was packed with plates that were piled high with food and it all looked delicious. Not only did it look delicious, but it smelled divine and I swallowed hard. The small voice was back and every hair on my body stood at attention. Despite my stomach protesting loudly, begging for the food, I didn't touch it. Something about the stall and the fact that the cooks were nowhere in sight, made me feel uneasy.

Leaving the food stall area, I headed forward. There was a large intersection ahead and I could go in any direction. To the left and ahead seemed to be more food stalls, although it looked like there was a possibility of small novelty shops mixed in for once. To the right was a beautiful red bridge that led to a splendid Bathhouse. Drawn to the bridge, I went right and within a few strides was standing on the bridge. I took a moment to take in the Bathhouse. It was large. No, it was more than that. It was ginormous and grand. It was like I had travelled back in time and was standing in the middle of old Japan. The walls were made of sliding glass that made up the walkways for most of the building. Everything about it screamed elegance and I was curious as to what the inside looked like. At that moment, the sound of a train caught my attention and I rushed to the side of the bridge to watch it pass underneath me.

I had always been fascinated with trains, but I had never really been on one before. My grandmother, to whom I was named after, used to talk of trains and the spirits quite fondly. Once when my grandmother was visiting, she had told me about a time that she had taken a train to see a witch and save her first true love from an evil spell that had been place on him. I had just nodded and kept quiet. My grandmother was quite old at that point and I chalked it up to the simple fact that she was getting older and her mind was starting to slip. But my grandmother had always loved the sound of trains. I starred at the train fondly, thinking of my grandmother when I felt a presence behind me.

Spinning around, I turned and saw a man standing on the bridge just a few feet behind me. For a few moments, we just quietly regarded each other and I was taken aback by how stunningly handsome he was. He had jet black hair, jade green eyes, and he appeared to be in great shape. His hair was currently pulled back into a man-bun and for some reason, I wondered what it would look like down. His clothes were like that of old Japan. A white tunic shirt and blue tunic pants held tightly on with a purple sash. My attention was once again brought up to his eyes. They were staring at me with such an intensity that it took my breath away. The man took a hesitant step forward and I drew back slightly, my hips hitting the railing behind me which I was gripping hard.

"Chihiro?" The man asked, still inching forward little by little.

"How do you know my name?" I asked, staying where I was.

"Chihiro, don't be like that. Surely you remember me." The man said, sounding a little hurt.

"I've never met you before in my life." I said, confused.

"But I saved you from drowning in my river when you were just a child. Don't you remember that? And when you were about ten years old. You were here, with me…" The man trailed off as I looked more and more confused.

"I think you've got me confused with my grandmother. The woman I'm named after. She almost drowned when she was a child as she was trying to get her shoe back, but she said the river saved her." I said.

The man looked like he had been slapped hard in the face.

"Your grandmother? How old are you?" He asked, almost as if he couldn't believe the words.

"Yeah. Everyone says that I look just like her. And I'm 23-years-old if you must know." I explained, still confused and a little uncomfortable at this point.

I watched the man absorb this fact, like it was unbelievable to him that I was standing before him and not the woman that he expected me to be.

"Is your grandmother still alive?" He asked suddenly.

"Sadly, no. She passed away about two years ago." I replied.

The man stumbled back for a moment and looked like the news of her death was something that shook him to his core. Feeling far more uncomfortable than I had originally felt, I started to inch my way back towards the food stalls. I could see behind the man that the sun was getting dangerously close to setting and if I wanted to get home at a reasonable time, now was the time to get going. Suddenly at the other end of the bridge, the lanterns in front of the Bathhouse were beginning to be lit and my attention was drawn to it. At the same time, the man snapped out of his trance and glared first at the lanterns and then at myself. I sucked in a breath, not liking those intense eyes on me and angry at the same time.

"You shouldn't be here. Leave before it's too late. I'll distract them." He said, stepping forward and pushing me away from the railing and back towards the food stalls.

He didn't have to say that twice, I took off running and didn't look back. My long braid thumped against my back, almost painfully as I ran, but I didn't stop. The man had frightened me and now my panic was beginning to increase as night steadily fell. Shapes began to appear as I ran through the streets. Dark, black shadowy figures that would suddenly appear where they hadn't been before. I panted, but I didn't stop. If I stopped, everything would hit me all at once and I didn't want to think about what was happening around me.

I ran past all the food stalls and was back at the stairs. I hurled herself down them, not noticing the water that was leaking out of the frog statue's mouth that was perched at the top of the stairs. I threw myself into water and went under with the force of my weight. I backed up and raced back up the stairs, not understanding how suddenly an entire lake stretched across the horizon. On the other side of the lake was a town that was lit up and very beautiful if I had taken the time to look at it, but all I saw was a foreign town and I was just barely able to make out the shape of the tower from the tunnel I had come through.

Not waiting around to see what happened, I ran back and took a left turn, trying to get away from all the lights and the scary figures that were before me. I ran and ran until I found a dark corner behind a shop that was secluded from the road. Sinking down onto my knees, I curled up and began to cry. What had just happened? Where was I? Who was that man that had seemed to know my grandmother so well? How was I going to get home? My mind and body went numb from being cold. I was drenched from the river and it didn't help that there was a slight breeze. I wasn't sure how long I stayed like that, but I was out of tears by the time a gentle hand touched my back.

I jumped and saw that it was the man from the bridge. What did he want with me now?

"No!" I said feebly, pulling away from him slightly.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here to help you. Here, you need to eat this." He said.

He held up a berry and was bringing it towards my mouth. I struggled against him and then thrust out my arms in an attempt to push him away. Instead of my arms making contact with him, they simply passed right through him. That's when I noticed that my body was transparent. A small choking noise made its way out of my mouth and I had to take another deep breath to keep myself from crying. The man waited patiently for a moment before bringing the berry back up to my lips.

"Eat this. It will make you better." He said, pushing it between my lips and keeping his finger there just in case I decided to spit it out.

I looked at him for a moment and then chewed the berry. It was sweet and the delicious juices flowed down my throat and made my mouth water. I swallowed it and the man smiled.

"You're better now. See for yourself." He said, holding out his hand.

Tentatively, I stretched out my hand and brushed my fingertips against it. This time, they didn't go through him. He locked his fingers with mine for a second and then tried to pull me up, but my legs didn't want to move for a moment. He bent down and I brushed him off.

"Just give me a second." I said.

I was still trying to wrap my mind around everything that had happened. Slowly and stiffly, I stood up and a shiver went through my body. I was cold still, but I was more concerned with finding out what had happened than with getting warm for the time being.

"We never properly introduced ourselves. Hello, my name is Chihiro. It's nice to meet you." I said, holding out my hand for the man to shake.

"My full name is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, but you can call me Haku." He said, shaking my hand.

I finally had a name to go along with the face. He seemed like he wanted to hold onto my hand, but he let it go and I dropped it to my side. He must have been close to my grandmother. There was no other explanation to why he would act like that to a perfect stranger.

"You can call me Hiro if it helps." I suggested, trying to find a way to bring him back to the present.

The man nodded and then looked up at the sky. I glanced up as well, trying to see if he was looking at something or just using it to get himself together. I waited until he had collected himself and then he turned his piercing gaze back to me. I sucked in a breath, but didn't say anything. Maybe he had to get used to the fact that I was the spitting image of my grandmother, although she had kept her hair shorter than I did and I had some pale freckles sprinkled across the bridge of my nose. But besides that, I had her brown hair, grey eyes, and slim figure. Even my grandmother had pointed out how similar we were.

"Haku, where am I? What is this place?" I asked finally.

"Well Hiro, this is the Spirit World." Haku said.


	2. Chapter 2

Was I hearing that correctly? Did he really say the Spirit World? He had to be joking. That kind of stuff only happened in movies. I took a moment and felt a shiver that ran through my spine and I wasn't sure whether that was from the cold or from what Haku had just told me.

"But I don't understand. How did I get here?" I asked.

"The gate must have opened at the time that you walked through the tunnel. No one knows why the gate opens, but occasionally, a human will slip in. It was a right place, right time, kind of moment." Haku says, shrugging.

Right place? Right time? How is any of this good? But I couldn't bring myself to be hysteric at this man. Something about him just made me want to comfort him, especially with the way he had reacted to the news of my grandmother. I take a deep breath to steady myself.

"What do I do now? Am I ever going home?" I asked, a little weakly.

"That's up to you. For now, I'll have to take you to the Bathhouse. You're drenched and you'll get a cold if you stay out here any longer. Tomorrow, you can decide if you want to stay a little longer or head home. But there's no guarantee with the gate. It can be very finicky." He said.

I nodded my head and he extended his hand towards me. I hesitated for just a moment before I slipped my hand into his. He held my hand firmly and then we're suddenly running extremely fast, the world blurring past me. Thankfully, whatever effects of alcohol that I would have been feeling had gone away long ago. Being scared can sober you up quickly. All too suddenly, we were coming to a stop before the red bridge again. Haku pulls me slightly behind him, shielding me from the many spirits around us and ahead of us.

"Master Haku! Welcome back." A spirit says and I can't see who said it.

There was a murmuring that went through the crowd as spirits began to notice that there was someone with Haku and I get the feeling that that isn't a normal thing. I cling to Haku's arm because that's the only thing I can do. Despite him being a perfect stranger, he was the only comfort I had and the only protection that I had. I could feel Haku glance down at me and then continue to stare straight ahead. I can hear Haku's name ripple through the crowd and then before I know it, we're across the bridge. Haku's arm is across my body and my face is half hidden by him. His hand cups my hip and he pushes me slightly more behind him.

"Master Haku, who is that?"

There were a million questions thrown at him and he simply held up a hand. The staff went silent and I peeked out the slightest bit. Some of the staff were frogs or toads and some of them were human looking. There was a young woman among the crowd. She had long, dark brown hair and she was leaning against the wall looking nonchalant, but there was something in her eye's that made me think that she had a big heart. Her eyes locked with mine and her face turned to one of shock. Haku noticed and pushed me all the way behind him. I clutched onto his shirt, wrinkling it in my hands. He kept his arm on me and raised the other one to prevent anyone from stepping forward.

"This is a human that stumbled through the gate." Haku says plainly.

"Chihiro!"

The voice was so full of love and hope and it spread through the crowd quickly. Haku silenced them, probably with a glare. I was too busy squeezing my eyes shut and clutching tighter onto Haku's back. Haku takes a breath and I can feel the attention of everyone directed at me and him. Maybe we should have taken a different path to the Bathhouse. I shiver, the cold thoroughly in my body by now. I would have to take a long bath to get the cold out of my body and hope that I didn't catch the flu.

"This is not the Chihiro that we know. This is her granddaughter that was named after her, but we shall know her as Hiro." Haku said in that calm tone.

"Well then what about the Chihiro we know?" Someone asked.

"She has passed on already."

The crowd fell silent and I could hear the sadness in the silence. They must have loved her very much. I think about the bedtime stories that my grandmother used to tell me about the Spirit World and realize that they were all true. They were stories about the time she spent here as a child and these were her friends. No wonder that they were so excited to see me, only to be bombarded with the fact that I was not my grandmother, the Chihiro that they loved and that she was in fact dead. I couldn't think of the pain that they must have been feeling.

I think about Haku and how he reacted, how sweetly he treated me from time to time when he didn't realize what he was doing and in that moment, I realize that he must have been my grandmother's first love. He must be in so much pain and yet he was helping me. I clutch tighter onto him.

"Everyone get back to work before Yubaba has our heads. I will answer any questions that you may have later tonight after we close." Haku said.

The crowd was quiet and began to disperse. I didn't want to see the look on the girl's face that had locked eyes with me. She must have been a close friend with my grandmother and it must be a shock to find out about her passing, let alone to see me whom looks just like her. Haku tugged on my shirt slightly and then pulled me out from behind him.

"You have to walk now. I'll take you to see Yubaba." He said quietly.

I nodded, not wanting to speak at the moment. Haku looked at me for a moment and then took my hand and began to lead me into the Bathhouse. I let him lead me through the Bathhouse, not entirely paying attention to where we were going. It took a few minutes and several elevators before we finally arrived at the floor we needed. The entire top floor was Yubaba's house and elegant didn't even begin to cover how grand and extravagant everything was. Even grand and extravagant weren't even close to describing the beauty that everything on the floor held. Haku lead me down a series of passage ways and doors. I wouldn't have been able to find the place if I had been on my own and I was grateful to have Haku by my side.

We arrived in a room that was used as an office. There was a large fireplace with a warm fire flickering in its hearth and I craved to be beside it and absorbing the heat from it. To the left was a desk that was adorned with scales, jewels, and many small bags of money. Behind the desk sat a short, enormous old woman that had to be a witch. There was no way that she wasn't. Haku stepped forward and bowed a little and she waved her hand to dismiss him. With a gentle push, Haku placed me before the witch. I bowed and then stood up as straight as I could.

"Chihiro, but from what I've heard, not the Chihiro that we all know." The witch said lighting a cigarette.

"No ma'am. Chihiro was my grandmother and I was named after her. You must be Yubaba, the witch that steals names." I said, remembering the stories my grandmother had told me.

Yubaba took a long drag of her cigarette and regarded me over a long, beak-like nose. She blew the smoke out of her nostrils and it almost filled the entire room before disappearing. I met her stare and continued to stand straight. There were a few more moments of silence before Yubaba finally spoke.

"I already know that Haku will want to take care of you and make sure that you are okay, but I can't just let you stay here for free while you are figuring out what to do. In fact, your grandmother managed to collect a lot of debt while she was here. I'll make a deal with you Chihiro, if you manage to pay off your grandmother's debt while you are here, then I will let you go without signing a contract. If you fail or try to run away, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself." Yubaba said.

To me, this interaction seemed really mild. From all the stories grandmother had told me, Yubaba always had someone under contract and was trying to control them. Maybe Yubaba had had a change of heart since meeting grandmother. I bowed and thanked her. I was still a bit numb from everything that had happened so I decided not to argue with her. I turned towards Haku and he was still staring at me. I wasn't sure what to do or say so I simply held out my hand. He took it without saying a word and began to lead me out of the office. When grandmother had stayed here, she had been with her friend in a room with about 15 other girls. But I was different. Even if I was just a human, they were treating me differently.

"Are you hungry?" Haku asked in that quiet voice of his.

"Not really." I replied, equally quiet.

"You should eat some food from our world. It will prevent you from feeling sick."

"Okay."

We travelled back to the elevator. Haku hadn't told me where we were going and I didn't want to ask. He didn't let go of my hand, even when we were just riding in the elevator. I still hadn't asked him about his relationship with my grandmother, but a part of me already knew. It was evident in the way he was acting with me. I didn't take back my hand. I had been heartbroken before, but I didn't know what it was like to lose a true love. Sure, I had broken up with boys and they had broken up with me, but it had never been serious.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly and Haku squeezed my hand for a moment.

"You have nothing to apologize for." He said coolly.

"Grandmother mentioned you before. She used to tell me bedtime stories and until now, I thought they were just stories. She told me about the time she went to see the witch in the swamp to save your life." I said.

Haku was silent.

"I've never had a true love before so I don't know the kind of pain you are feeling. But I'm sorry that you're in pain." I said.

"She was a human. It was going to happen eventually." He said in that same cold tone.

I was quiet. He didn't want to talk about it, but he also didn't let go of my hand. Haku took me off the elevator and towards a part of the Bathhouse I didn't know. Although, I didn't know the Bathhouse to begin with. The way he was leading me was away from all the baths and towards a more private part of the Bathhouse. After turning down a few hallways, we came to a door. He took a key out of his pocket and unlocked it. Haku didn't have an entire floor to himself like Yubaba did, but it was a decent sized place. It was more than just a room which was more than the other staff had. We had entered the living room and the only objects in this room were a couch and an kotatsu.

Haku dropped my hand and shut the door behind us. After a glance at me, he continued into the rest of the apartment. There was a very small kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Haku led me into the bedroom and told me to wait there for him. After several minutes, he returned with a small bowl of rice and a uniform for me. He didn't meet my eyes as he put the clothes on the bed.

"After you eat, you can take a bath. That uniform is yours. I'll wake you up tomorrow for your shift." He said, still looking away.

"Haku…" I began.

After several moments, he finally looked at me.

"Yes Hiro?" He asked.

"Where will you sleep?" I asked, knowing that this was his place.

"I'll stay on the couch for now or go use a guest room at Yubaba's." He shrugged.

"Thank you for taking care of me." I said quietly.

We stared at each other for a few long moments and then he left without saying another word. I sat there in silence before eating the rice that Haku had brought for me. It wasn't much, but I also wasn't very hungry. After quickly finishing the rice, I brought the bowl into the kitchen and washed it before putting it in a strainer. I needed a warm bath desperately to get the chill out of my bones. I filled the water as high as I could without it spilling over in the tub and then just sat there with a cool towel on my head. I didn't allow myself to think about the events that had happened. I didn't want to. I knew I needed time to process everything, but I was too tired to accurately think about them. I soaked in the tub for a long time before finally getting out and drying off. I changed into the pink pants and blue halter shirt that was part of the uniform and was surprised by how comfortable they were.

Back in Haku's room, I gently brushed my long hair with my fingers. It was still damp, but I wanted to get the tangles out before going to bed. I was exhausted and so ready for sleep. Crawling into bed, I turned out the lights and let the darkness surround me. In the quiet, I could just make out the noises of someone in the room nearby. It had to be Haku in the living room. I listened a little harder and for a moment, I thought I could hear him softly crying. Before I could think too hard on it, I fell asleep and dreamt about captivating jade green eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

The jade green eyes were staring at me and a soft voice was whispering my name.

"Chihiro."

I kept staring at the green eyes. They held so much love and for some reason, that filled me up with warmth.

"Chihiro."

The disembodied voice called out to me again and this time it sounded closer.

"Hiro."

I sat bolt right up and smashed my forehead into something hard. I cradled my forehead in my hands and when the pain started to subside, I looked up. Haku had been knocked backwards onto the floor and I rushed to help him up just as he was starting to stand up and we knocked heads again, but this time I landed on top of Haku. We rubbed our sore foreheads and I apologized again and again. Haku murmured something about not getting so close the next time he went to wake me up. I looked at those brilliant jade green eyes and that feeling of warmth from my dream resonated in me, smaller but still noticeable. My face flushed with how close we were to each other and I stumbled to get up and off of him. I mumbled apologizes again and then helped Haku onto his feet.

"When we are out on the floor, you will refer to me as 'Master Haku' and you will not speak to me unless spoken to." He said sternly.

"Yes sir. Does this mean I'm going to stay with the other girls from now on?" I asked, my face still a little flushed from embarrassment.

"No. You can stay with me until you figure out what you would like to do." Haku said, his expression softening slightly.

Haku was a strange man. So cold and steely one moment and then warm and fuzzy the next. I knew that it was probably because of how similar I looked to my grandmother. He had to be confused and upset and for once in my life, I resented the fact that I looked like her. I turned from Haku and braided my hair, tying the end of it with a sparkling purple hair tie that I had gotten from my grandmother. Turning, I found Haku staring at the end of the braid, but if he recognized the hair tie, he didn't say anything.

"You will be starting with the regular chores of making sure the floors are clean before being assigned a tub to clean and then to attend customers in." Haku said, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Will you be going on a mission soon?" I asked, remembering how he had been away on missions frequently from what my grandmother said.

"I do have a mission, but it should only take most of the night. I'll be back by the time we're closing up tonight." He replied, stunned at my question.

"Okay. Be safe."

Haku nodded and then lead me out of the apartment, probably even more stunned with my last reply. He led me down to where a few girls were tying the bottom of their pants tight and starting to ring out some cloths to wash the floor with. The wide wooden planks that had been shiny the day before had begun to lose their luster. Haku didn't say anything before he left, just leaving me to figure things out and I actually felt grateful for his absence. He needed time to think and get his emotions together and so did I. So much had happened in the last 24 hours and it was a lot to take in. Stumbling upon the Spirit World had been a real shock to me and I was still getting used to the idea of things.

I grabbed a cloth and soaked it in some water before ringing it out slightly and getting ready to clean the floors with the other 5 girls that were in the room with me. We all lined up with the cloths on the ground in front of us and bent down, using our weight to push the cloth along the ground to clean it. I wasn't as fast as the other girls, but I wasn't painfully slow either. It took about twenty minutes to completely clean the floor. As I was ringing out the cloth for a final time, a toad spirit entered the room with a clipboard. He began to read off names and their assignment for the day.

"Hiro, you get the big tub today." He said, and turned before I could reply.

Surely I wouldn't be cleaning the tub alone, I thought. Hesitantly, I stood and left the now sparkling clean wooden floor as I started towards the first floor that contained the baths. The ground floor of the Bathhouse was made up entirely of private baths and in some reserved spaces, a large hot spring was available with its own small waterfall and all. The second floor was made up of traditional tatami matted dining rooms for the guests to enjoy dinner in after their relaxing bath and some of the servant quarters could be found on this floor as well. Below the ground floor was the boiler room and the kitchens. The third floor was mostly servant quarters and some storage areas. The top floor was entirely reserved for Yubaba.

I still only had a vague idea of where I was heading, but I managed to find myself among the private baths. Walking all the way down the hall and into the room on the left, I found myself at the big tub and breathed a sigh of relief until I saw who was standing in the room with a broom already in her hand. It was the girl from the bridge last night, the one who had looked so elated to see me. She freezes when she sees me and I sucked in my breath and hold it. There are several emotions that run across her face, but she quickly composes herself before holding out a broom for me. I take it quickly, still standing awkwardly near the entryway to the bath.

"I hope you're not as clumsy as your grandmother." The young woman says.

It's the first thing she's said to me since arriving yesterday besides shouting my name and it takes me a moment to compose myself. I clear my throat and open my mouth. When nothing comes out, I clear my throat again and look away.

"I was never gifted with her good graces." I say, trying to break the tension between us.

I think I see her mouth twitch, indicating that there would have been a smile, but then nothing happens. My chest is tight with anxiety and I'm not sure why it is I am so anxious. I don't understand why I want these spirits approval, but some part of me craves it. I turn away from the woman and start sweeping up the long blades of grass that are completely coating the room. The private baths are beautiful and even though there is a large entryway and no ceiling, it still gives the feeling of being private. The sides of the room that are not against the wall are like the tatami style, but are more sturdy. They're probably made from a hardier substance that can handle all the steam is that constantly bombarding it. The true wall of the room is made up of wooden panels that are decorated with what is probably a cherry blossom tree with petals floating around it.

The room would have been even more beautiful if it weren't so filthy, but it seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. The young woman still hasn't told me her name, but I have the feeling that she doesn't want to talk. It doesn't seem like either of us is used to the fact that I am there and working in the Bathhouse just like my grandmother had done. We work silently and quickly, sweeping the room clean and getting all the grass out of it in under twenty minutes. After the room is clean, we start working on the tub which is slimy and coated in muck. Climbing into the tub, our backs are practically against each other, but we remain silent. We've only been working on the sludge for about ten minutes when we hear someone walk into the room.

"Lin, Hiro. You've got customers waiting." A toad spirit says, peering in at us.

"Give us a minute! Jeez." Lin huffs, throwing her scrub brush to the ground.

The brush splashes lightly in the small pool of water at the bottom of the tub. I bend over and pick it up, looking up at Lin who has her hands on her hips. She is not pleased that we are being rushed and I can understand her frustration.

"I'll get us a bath token to soak the tub in. It's the best we're going to be able to do in the amount of time we have." Lin says, blowing her bangs out of her face.

"Okay." I say meekly.

Lin climbs out of the tub and vanishes from sight. Rather than doing nothing, I continue to scrub the sides of the tub as best I can before she returns. I manage to make some progress, but not much before I hear Lin return with the bath token. We scoop up as much of the dirty water as we can into some buckets. Lin shows me how to get the water for the bath token and I memorize the panel to call on the water before going to dump the dirty water. Instead of meeting Lin in the room, I meet her at the entrance where we get our customers together.

Our first customers of the night are a couple of mountain spirits. One is tall and large, with snow dashed on the top most part of his body and it almost looks like hair. The other is stout and obtuse, with small red veins running all over his body and I realize that they are magma after a moment. Lin and I bow to greet them and show them to their tub where the water is still steaming. We quietly attend to them, Lin taking the taller mountain spirit while I took the shorter mountain spirit. I'm surprised to find that touching him does not hurt me and it is easy to care for him.

It's an hour before the mountain spirits leave and go to get dinner in the food district outside the Bathhouse and Lin and I have a chance to get something to eat. We're sitting on the floor in the big tub room, still silent. Finally, I cannot stand the tension any longer.

"You were close to my grandmother." I said, knowing it to be true.

After a few moments, Lin speaks.

"Yes." She replied.

"You looked out for her while she was here. She used to tell me stories about you, about this place." I said.

"She was dear to me." Lin replies matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry about surprising you. I understand that it's been difficult for everyone with how similar I look to her." I murmur, becoming awkward yet again.

Lin thinks for a few moments before finally speaking.

"Yes and no. There are some subtle differences about the two of you that people wouldn't notice upon first glance. Like your freckles, your grandmother never had them. And you have a calmer demeaner about you. It took your grandmother several days before she would stop screaming at every little thing." Lin says.

I laugh at the thought of my grandmother not being able to control her voice. She had always had a problem with that, but she was so full of life that no one had ever said anything about it. It made up who she was and I smile at the memory of her.

"I miss her." Lin admits.

"I do too." I say quietly.

With that, we begin to swap stories of my grandmother and the crazy things that she got herself into. By the end of the night, Lin and I are so close that we could be considered long lost sisters. I'm glad to have finally made a friend in the Spirit World and it helps me relax. Even though I have no made up my mind about what I want to do, I am not anxious about it anymore. Haku had said the gate could be finicky anyways and if I truly did have to stay here for a few days, it would not be bad now that I was starting to make friends. But the danger of making friend was the temptation to stay. How many humans got wisked away to the Spirit World and then decided not to come back? Sure, I had heard the folk tales of people entering the Spirit World and reappearing in the human world years later, but had there been stories of people not returning? Lying in bed that night, I frowned. I knew I would have a bid decision to make, but for the time being, I wasn't in a rush to make it. And that surprised me. Who knew what the Spirit World had in store for me.


End file.
